NEWS&CASES

Time：2026/03/02
Class：News
Important Developments in International Steel Industry Low-Carbon Standards and ESG Ratings

ISO Holds Plenary Session on Steel Low-Carbon Standards, China Leads the Promotion of Core Standard Formulation

On February 26, the 5th Plenary Session of ISO/TC17/SC21 "Climate Change Related to the Environment in the Steel Industry" was successfully held. 32 representatives from 10 countries including China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Germany, as well as the World Steel Association and the ISO Secretariat, attended the meeting to jointly promote the improvement of global low-carbon standards for the steel industry.


The Chinese delegation was composed of experts from the Metallurgical Industry Information Standardization Institute, Baosteel, China Metallurgical Construction Research Institute and other units, with Zhang Longqiang, President of the Metallurgical Industry Information Standardization Institute, as the leader. The meeting focused on advancing the implementation and optimization of two core international standards. Among them, ISO 14404 "Greenhouse Gas Emission Intensity Calculation Method for Iron and Steel Production", as the basic standard for global steel carbon emission accounting, further clarified the emission boundary, accounting formula and data collection and verification process, providing a unified "carbon account book" for carbon tariffs, carbon trading and green procurement. The ISO 20915 "Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) Calculation Method for Iron and Steel Products", which is in the voting stage of the International Standard Draft (DIS), the new draft standardizes the carbon footprint accounting rules for the entire chain of steel products from ore mining to recycling, and is expected to be officially released within 2026.


At this meeting, the person in charge of the "Guidelines for the Application of Low-Carbon Technologies in Iron and Steel Enterprises" project led by Chinese experts and the convener of the working group won the ISO Outstanding Contribution Award. At the same time, the new work project "Determination Method for Carbon Dioxide Content Fixed by Steel Slag Carbonation" proposed by China received positive feedback, marking China's transformation from "participation" to "leadership" in the formulation of international low-carbon standards for the steel industry and a significant improvement in its right to speak.
Industry insiders said that the improvement of these standards will promote global steel enterprises to carry out carbon accounting and disclosure in accordance with unified rules, force enterprises to accelerate the upgrading of low-carbon technologies such as oxygen enrichment, CCUS and hydrogen-based shaft furnaces, and reduce the carbon compliance costs of China's steel exports to markets such as the European Union.

China Steel Corporation (CSC) of Taiwan, China Selected into S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook, Ranking Second in the Global Steel Industry

On the same day, S&P Global released the "2026 S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook". With its outstanding performance in the three dimensions of Environment (E), Social (S) and Governance (G), China Steel Corporation (CSC) of Taiwan, China was selected as one of the top 5% outstanding enterprises in the world, ranking second in the global steel industry comprehensive ranking, second only to Nippon Steel Corporation, and ranking first in the global steel industry in the social dimension.


The S&P Global Sustainability Assessment (CSA) conducts quantitative evaluation based on more than 200 indicators. CSC's high score is due to its solid low-carbon transformation practices and improved ESG management system: at the environmental level, it has built the world's largest blast furnace gas CCUS project, capturing more than 1 million tons of CO₂ annually, with an electric furnace ratio of over 30% and a scrap utilization rate leading Asia; at the social level, it has achieved zero fatal safety accidents, established a sound employee welfare and training system, implemented a dual supplier audit mechanism of low carbon + social responsibility, and deeply participated in community public welfare; at the governance level, it has set up a Sustainability Committee, integrated ESG into corporate strategy and performance appraisal, and released independent ESG reports verified by third parties for 15 consecutive years.


Relevant analysts at S&P Global said that CSC's performance highlights the supporting role of ESG in enterprises' international competitiveness. A high ESG rating can not only reduce enterprises' financing costs, but also help enterprises cope with global trade green barriers, providing a reference practice sample for global steel enterprises.
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